People Can Change
by DexterFan4249
Summary: Head Auror Harry is shocked that Pansy is working at the Ministry. Meanwhile death eaters are rising again and Harry and Pansy's relationship changes. Will the relationship survive the scorn of the Wizarding community. Will be Smut in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

Harry woke up rubbing his eyes at the sudden light from his Grimmuld Place bedroom window. His gloomy bedroom greeted him. After his eyes had adjusted and he grabbed his glasses from the bedside table he realised Kreacher was standing by the window. He had opened the curtains to wake him.

" Morning Kreacher" Harry said automatically

"I wish to wake you in time for work" Kreacher bowed "The Ministry awaits"

"Thank you Kreacher" Harry rubbed his face to wake himself

With a pop Kreacher apparated presumably to the kitchens to prepare his breakfast. Harry sighed and checked his watch. An hour. He had time. Harry walked down the hall to the bathroom rubbing his aching back. Turning on the shower on, he stood under the stream. He worked for the ministry. Surprising even himself he had shot up the ranks and was now head auror. After only seven months in the auror department he had got the promotion. He enjoyed his job immensely it wasn't easy he had gone through an extremely gruelling auror training camp. He had just about managed it. He cursed himself for not paying more attention in class. While he was admittedly excellent at Defense Against the Dark Arts it was potions, Transfiguration and Herbology that he had needed refresher courses. Hermione had been invaluable. He wasn't stupid he knew that he was only Head Auror because of a few coinciding incidents. Firstly and mainly was a awful lot of the existing auror squad was wiped out during the year Voldermort took power and the concluding battle for hogwarts. Luckily once voldermort had been defeated a big bunch of new recruits had joined. Graduates from hogwarts and even some of his schoolmates. Also Minister for Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt who had been doing double duty as the Head Auror as well had been eager to pass that responsibility off to somebody else and his unwavering confidence in Harry had convinced him to agree to his promotion.

Finishing his shower he dried off and went back to his room to put on his uniform. Harry had done his best to improve the inside of Grimmuld place but despite the different colour walls and more lights around the place the gloom still overwhelming however apart from hogwarts it was the closest to home he had ever known. It was his home.

Kreacher greeted him with a plate of bacon and eggs. Next to it was also a packed lunch.

"Thank you Kreacher"Harry said sitting down and tucking in. He glanced up and saw Kreacher looking uncomfortable. He had made great strides over the past few months but he still didn't really know what to do when he was thanked. He finished his breakfast and left for the ministry.

Harry materialised in the atrium on the ministry . He had been working at the ministry for months and the beauty of it still took his breath away. He pushed through the crowd as politely as he could to get to the elevators as fast as possible. He nearly tripped over his robes getting out of the elevators. Bloody uniform he was so much better in muggle clothes. He greeted his staff the few that weren't in st mungos. They had had a recent bad run in with a group of death eaters. No deaths on our side but about twelve were out of action for a couple of weeks. Michael Corner greeted him with a big stack of paperwork. Michael was probably the closest thing he had to a deputy. A loyal and highly skilled wizard who had become a friend during his time at the ministry.

"Any news on our lads" Harry asked Michael

"All stable and due for recovery, the Mediwizards at st mungos are working hard at disarming the curses those death eaters know some bizarre curses" Said Michael

"Keep me informed" Harry said and Michael nodded

Harry left michael to get back to work and entered his office. It had only been his for a month but he has tried to make it his own. A pretty large office compared to some other ones he had been in. A rich oak desk where he spent most of his time. He placed the stack of papers on his desk sat down and set to work. Following the raid on the death eater hideout he had to go through numerous meeting with what felt like everyone from the minister down. The operation had been a success they had every death eater either dead or in askaban however many aurors injured and Harry had to explain why and how and who was to blame. The paperwork was mind numbing and relaxing. Just what he needed. After nearly falling asleep he felt it was time for lunch.

Harry stepped off the elevator at the department of magical creatures. Heading towards Hermione's office he knocked and opened the door a crack. Hermione finished writing her sentence put down her quill and looked up.

"Hey Harry" She smiled

"Hermione i brought lunch"

"Great"

After Voldermort fell Hermione was one of the few in his year to go back and do the final year. He and Ron chose not to. Hermione has also taken a role at the department of magical creatures. It was the perfect job for her he steadfast commitment to making life better for House Elves and Goblins and such. However she looked tired very tired. Hogwarts four days a week and the Ministry in the evenings were taking their toll.

He placed the lunch bag on the desk and opened it revealing the assortment of dishes in the magically expanding bag including Harrys favourite treacle tart. A pained expression crossed Hermione's face.

"Hermione come on Kreachers already made it why not eat it" Harry said and She nodded taking a big forkful of pasta.

"How's Hogwarts these days" Harry asked

"Great, really great everything is completely rebuilt and Neville is enjoying his teaching assistant position" Hermione said

"How's Ron? I haven't seen him an a couple of weeks"

"I know we have all been so busy haven't we" Hermione said

"Who thought being an adult was so hard"

Hermione laughed "Rons fine, I hardly ever see him he is always working late managing the joke shop and im either at hogwarts or here we need a holiday"

"Don't we all" Harry sighed moving onto the treacle tart

"Next sunday Molly and Arthur are having everyone at the Burrow" She said

"Great its been a while" He said

"I know, Ginny is gonna be there with Lee Jordan" Hermione blurted out looking for his reaction

Harry sighed "Thats great"

"Really"

"Yes Hermione"

"Good"

Himself and Ginny never really stood a chance. He often thought she still harboured some resentment towards him for not taking her with him to destroy all the horcruxes with Ron and Hermione. Though she never said it. After just a month together they finally decided to call it quits. He realised that they had never really spent time together before without a wizarding world crisis. After a year of dreaming about her, the realisation that she was completely different to his idealised version of her in his imagination really stung. They were different people and there love was childish. She went off and joined the Holyhead harpies and he the ministry. What he had been most worried about was Ron and his familys reaction to there breakup. Ron thankfully had been absolutuly fine with it. Harry thought that it had probably been awkward with his sister being with his best friend and was glad it was over. Molly and Arthur were understanding but Charlie, George and Bill gave Harry a cold shoulder although jokingly for a while and thankfully that was it.

The next couple of days went by uneventfully only a few meeting with some informants and a journey to St Mungos to check on his men. Sitting in his office Harry checked his watch. Lunch. Hermione was at Hogwarts. He usually would eat his lunch in his office or with his employees. However today he decided to go down to the Ministry dining hall. Kingsley greeted him and made a space next to him. Harry looked at the menu then spoke his order and it appeared on the plate in front of him. Just as he was tucking into his hearty beef stew he heard a voice he recognised. He looked to his right and saw a witch he knew. This wasn't an odd thing seeing people he hadn't known worked for the Ministry. He often saw his former school mates who had recently joined the ministry however who he saw shocked him. Pansy Parkinson.

It had been eight months since he saw her last trying to give him over to Voldermort, he chuckled. He was shocked that a witch like her was accepted into the ministry. He suddenly had a thought that he had never really looked at her. He had mainly always ignored her. She had grown up. A curvy witch and if Harry was honest to himself an attractive one.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Pansy woke up head pounding. She had gone out with John with the rest of the other unspeakables near her age at the ministry. She climbed out of the bed and staggered in the bathroom, stripping off her pajama and jumping in the shower. She washed her face and felt slightly better. She swore when she saw the clock, she was gonna be late, she finished in the shower and swore again when she couldn't find her wand. Finding it underneath her pillow she waved it and dried her hair and pulled on a blouse and skirt. She then rushed off to work. It wouldn't be good to be late in her first week.

Pansy could barely believe it. A job at the ministry. Her life had taken a downturn since she finished hogwarts the hate against Slytherins were understandable. She knew that. Draco had got off lightly, he had Harry Bloody Potter show up at his inquest defending him and had begun to make strides to try and repair his familys damaged reputation. Regular donations to ST Mungos. Pansy's family while they weren't death eaters they still held the same beliefs that pure bloods were best. Pansy realised after being cut off from the rest of the slytherins that she didn't believe it, she only went along with it because her parents, Draco and all her friends had those beliefs. She bet that most of them didn't belive it either.

Pansy had a lot of trouble finding work, a lot of people didn't want to hire her. Eventually she found work at borgin and burkes. While she kept in touch with Draco he was very cold and distant to her and everyone. She had moved out of her parents manor and with the money her parents had given her she rented a flat in Knockturn alley. It was small but servicable but she kept it clean and tidy. Her friend Blaise Zabini who worked for the Ministry in the forign relations had encouraged her to go for an interview at the ministry and she did. She thought nothing of it and she was completely shocked when she got the job. An unspeakable was what they felt she was suitable for. The pay was so much better than borgin and burkes. She saw former fellow students at hogwarts and they often wouldn't talk to her. She felt a twinge of sadness but then she was used to it by now.

On her first day while she was being shown around the ministry she saw Harry Potter striding out of the elevator. He looked a lot taller than she remembered he had grown a beard and she understood that he had become the head auror. Typical she thought.

Pansy reached work on time. Her best friend John her collague greeted her and they set to work. She visited the bathroom on her way to lunch ran into Hermione. The witch looked at her in shock.

"Pansy" Hermione said "You work here?" She continued stupidly

"I do" Pansy said "Im an Unspeakable"

Hermione snorted then looked apolagetic "I'm sorry"

Pansy smiled "I probably deserve that"

"No"

"Granger its fine"

"Really a secret keeper? You?" Hermione scoffed

"I know I barely believe it myself"

"Ridiculous"Hermione said chuckling and Pansy was trying to control her anger

"So how goes SPEW are the house elves thankful for freedom, are you really making any difference?" Pansy said hoping to get a reaction

Hermione's eyes narrowed "fuck off Parkinson" and pushed past her out of the bathroom

Grinning for the first time in a while Pansy washed her hands and got back to work.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Harry was going over the plans with Michael for the raid on a house nearby little hangleton in a muggle village. They were sitting on the desks going through documents. He had reports all around of him from various informants containing the suspected Death eaters their historys. Yet harry was finding himself distracted.

"Are our teams in place?" Harry asked Michael

Michael nodded "Five auror on sight watching them at all time"

"Good, this Operation is yours you decide when we act"

"Thank you Harry"

"Anyway Lunch?" Harry asked

"Sure"

They slowly walked down to the dining hall he asked Michael about Pansy

"You'll never guess who I saw yesterday" Harry said

"Who?" Michael said

"Pansy Parkinson"

"Yes I heard she joined, the Unspeakables I believe"

"Unspeakables really?"

"I know right"

"You spoke to her"

"A little just in passing"

"How do you find her?"

"Fine, yeah she seemed OK, not the rude bitch she was at school"

Harry laughed

"So why you so interested Harry?" Michael smirked at him

"I just can't believe they let her in the ministry"

"Blaise is in the forign department" Michael countered

"True, but Blaise was never outspoken against muggles"

"Harry none of the slytherins will ever talk against the muggleborns now, they will always keep it quiet"

"I guess"

"Harry have you heard anything from pansy since school"

"No last I heard she was working at borgin and burkes"

"Keeping tabs on her are you?"

"Shut up" Said Harry jokingly

Later on Harry was trying to keep himself awake during a boring meeting with the heads of department. He was by far the youngest person there. Sitting opposite him was the Head Unspeakable Rachel. When the meeting ended he cornered her before she could leave.

"Hey Rachel sorry to bother you I just wanted to ask some questions about a employee of yours" Harry said cautiously

Rachel an attractive middleaged witch looked a little annoyed

"Fire away Harry" she said

"I heard recently you employed Pansy Parkinson"

"Yes I did" I slight smirk on her features, harry knew what she was thinking.

"I just wanted to check how she was getting on, she didn't have the best reputation at school"

"Well I obviously can't tell you classified information but she gets on well with everyone and is a hardworker, a bit cheeky but she gets the job done" Rachel said sighing

"Did you know about her past when you hired her"

"Her past has no relevence to what makes a great unspeakable" Rachel was looking very bored with him "You know Harry i didn't think you could hold a grudge"

"A grudge?" Harry said confused

"She tried to give you up to Voldemort" Rachel rolled her eyes

"Oh that, I'd forgotten" Harry laughed

Rachel looked confused "So why are you so interested" She winked

"No" Harry said

"Why not she is attractive enough" Rachel stepped closer

"Great talking to you Rachel" Harry said stepping out of the room he could hear her giggles as he got into the lift.

Harry cursed under his breath over the next few days he had asked other ministry colleagues what they made of. Try as he might he found nobody who said a bad word about her. In actual fact dispite her past the people who worked with her found her clever and liked her. On yet another lunchtime when Hermione was at Hogwarts he was eating alone in the dining hall. He had been up late filing the muggle memory charm reports for his team scoping out the Death eater house. Dispite the Muggle repelling charms a couple of muggles has blundered into the teams camp. Understandably memory charms were performed immediatly. Everything had to be logged. This was the glamourous life of an auror.

"I hear you've been looking into me" said a female voice

Harry looked round to find Pansy climbing onto the seat next to him. Harry felt his face going red. Dispite her serious voice Pansy's face could barely hide a smirk.

"Well you can't be too careful these days" Harry said offhand

"Surely you aurors have some real death eaters to catch"

"Yeah we do, know any?" Harry leaned closer

Pansy chuckled "wouldn't you like to know?"

"What about Theodore Nott?"

Pansy laughed "Come on Potter you know as well as I that he has gone into hiding, and I thought you best friend Draco would have told you about all the Death Eaters in the country"

Harry chuckled "There is too much bad blood between us to ever be friends, but at least we arent enemies anymore"

"You see Potter people can change, you and that Mud... Hermione can't ever believe it" Pansy cursed herself for almost slipping up. She saw Harry eyes blaze at the near insult to his friend.

"Maybe you need to keep at it" Harry sighed "You'll be happy to know I have found nothing but good things from your colleagues"

Pansy glanced away in embarrassment "Yeah Rachel thought you were my stalker" It was Harrys turn to look embarrased. "Oh dont worry Harry your too much of a saint for me"

At this Pansy bit the corner of her lip in a move that made his eyes glaze over in attraction. Pansy was dressed in a tight blouse with perhap a couple to many buttons undone. Harry risked a glance down her shirt

"Too bad" Harry joked regaining some composure

"Anyway I realised I never apologised" Pansy said changing the subject

Harry was confused "What have you got to apologise for?"

"Duh, for trying to give you up to voldermort"

Harry started to laugh "Pansy its fine, you know I completely forgot about that until Rachel reminded me"

"Well either way I'm sorry" Pansy blushed

Harry smiled "Don't worry Pansy I won't be checking up on you again"

"Really but I was enjoying the attention"

"I think there are worse witches who need my attention"

"Ouch, you gonna go punish some fangirls, thats what we have all heard in witch weekly" Pansy said cuttingly "Didn't know you were into such kinky shit Potter"

Harry was completely lost for words. Pansy started to laugh.

"Checking up on me?" Said Harry

"Please, your the celebrity, you've got the whole wizarding world looking up at you."

"But not you?"

"No, not me" Pansy stated

"Good" Harry said looking at his watch "Now I gotta get back to work and" Harry paused looking at he "Welcome to the Ministry"

Later on in his office thinking about his lunch with Pansy. He was shocked that he was flirting with her. It had been ages since he had talked like that with someone. He was now completely sure. Pansy was Hot. What she had been talking about in witch weekly was various articles from women saying that they had spent a night with Harry. All false. Completely fabricated, Harry had in fact only spent one night with a fangirl. A so called Potter groupie. He was feeling low after his break up with Ginny. Her face plastered all over the Daily prophet as the woman who broke the savior of the Wizarding world's heart. That was probably another reason why Ginny had been distant with him ever since. His night with the groupie had been extremely awkward and unfullfilling. She was so eager to please him, he felt no connection with her and Harry vowed never to do it again. He was better than that.

Harry didn't have to wait a while to see Pansy again. He ran into her in an odd place. At the next head of department meeting two days later. Harry walked into the room and sat down at his designated seat. He was dreading this, it was to be about improvements to the flu network. Harry sighed and settled down, he didn;t think they would notice if he fell asleep. It was like having History of Magic again. He was shocked when Pansy slid into the seat next to him.

"Pansy...Pansy what the hell are you doing here?" Harry said sitting up

"Good to see you too Potter, Rachel sent me on her behalf" Pansy said a smile on her face. Harry noticed that she looked quite stiff. She was nervous he realised.

"That fucking bitch" Harry said a little too loudly a couple on other department heads looked at him. He waved them away "I didn't know we could do that"

This relaxed Pansy as she started giggling at the death stares that were being sent at Harry.

"Well be prepared for the toughest challenge of your life, to stay awake" Harry said

"It can't be that bad"

"Just wait"

The Head of Transportation who seemed to do all the speeches began to talk. He thought that he must be a descentant of professor binns. A short time later Harry woke up as he was kicked in the shin. The speech stopped only momentarily as Harry swore with pain that he just managed to mask it in a cough. He looked at Pansy who had a hand over her mouth stifling her laughter. The speech continued, Harry risked moving his seat closer to Pansy.

"Thanks for waking me" Harry whispered

"Your welcome"

"How are you still awake?"

"I've been drawing" Pansy said indicating to the parchment in front of her

Harry statched one paper, Pansy made a lunge for it but stopped when Harry got it too far from her. Pansy got a few weird looks from other people and then sat back embarrassed. Harry was going through her drawing. He thought two thing first she was a good artist and second she had a sick mind. He was looking though images of a man and a woman engaged in some extremely graphic sex and positions he had never heard of. He smiled over at Pansy. She had gone red. He passed them back.

"Wow I had no idea" Harry said passing the papers back

The speechmaker stared in their direction and they fell silent. About five minutes later Harry didn't know how he managed to stay awake he looked over at Pansy and saw her head drooped, asleep. He looked around and saw everybody else asleep, the only ones still awake were himself, the head of transportation and two wizards sitting close to the front. Harry waited another minute watching everyone asleep before making a fake sneeze so loud. Everybody woke up and a couple of wizard slipped off their chairs. Pansy's head shot up as she screwed the parchment in her hand up. She looked over at him scowling as she put the ball of paper in her handbag.

The meeting came to the close and everybody left Harry stood outside waiting for Pansy.

"Was that everything you hoped?" Harry asked

Pansy laughed "well I don't want to go again"

"It was better with you" Harry said walking with her down the corridor.

Pansy looked flustered and then stopped walking. Harry walked past her and looked round.

"Why are you talking to me?" Pansy said no trace of humor in her voice.

"What?" said Harry

"I mean I was so horrible to you at school"

"Yeah you were"

"Exactly"

"Pansy you were horrible to everyone"

"Yeah and now its finally come back to bite me now I left school"

"Pansy that was ages ago"

"Most people haven't forgotten, they don't talk to me or if they have to they walk on eggshells around me" Pansy wiped he hair out of her face "Its as if they are afraid that i'll curse them or scream mudblood at them.

"Pansy people will come round"

"Really, I don't blame them, I just thought it would be better than this. People spit at me in the street"

"I'm sorry"

"I don't want your pity Harry, I just wanna know why you of all people are talking to me. You have the most reason to ignore me or swear at me"

"Well I did investigate you" Harry said a smirk on his face

"But then you were kind to me, you of all people want to talk to me, your one of the few people in this place who treats me as a person not slytherin filth."

"Pansy, you know what we used to call you in griffyndor. The Slytherin bitch queen"

Pansy laughed "Yeah but thats nothing to what we called you at Slytherin"

"Yeah but you see what I mean if you were to ask me three years ago that I would have had a civil conversation with draco Malfoy or Pansy Parkinson I would have laughed at you"

Pansy smiled at that

"Pansy people change, you just gotta give it time, you gotta prove to people that you have changed, I think you have" Harry smiled at her "All that stuff at school feels so long ago doesn't it"


End file.
